Our Crowdfunding Groups
Our crowdfunding campaign has ended but you can still support IoES student practicums by clicking here.
Dear Donors,
Due to the Pandemic, we wanted to send an update on the status of our project, which you generously donated to in order to help us travel to our research site in Argentina.
Unfortunately, our research trip was canceled for the safety of our team and the community members that we were planning to come into contact with over the course of our trip. To request a refund, please email UCLA Spark at uclaspark@support.ucla.edu.
Otherwise, all funds donated to our project will remain within the UCLA Foundation. As of now, a future research trip to Patagonia seems unfeasible as Argentina has extended their travel restrictions until September and our team will have graduated by then. We are currently looking into alternative trips within the United States, once it is deemed safe to travel, to study similar ecosystems to inform our research.
Our team thanks you for your donation, but also acknowledges that the current situation has caused financial uncertainty for many individuals. Due to our change of plans and the desire to relieve financial stress on our donors, we encourage all of you to request a refund by emailing UCLA Spark at uclaspark@support.ucla.edu.
Thank you again for your support and our research team hopes you are staying safe and healthy during these uncertain times brought on by COVID-19.
Respectfully,
Patagonia Preservation Team
Dear Donors,
The Patagonia Preservation Team was recently awarded a large grant from UCLA to conduct our research along the Limay River! With nearly 80% of our original goal achieved, we are proud to announce that we will be purchasing our flights from LAX to Patagonia very soon.
However, we only have 13 days left to secure the necessary funds for our lodging, meals, and field equipment. We humbly ask that you lend us some more of your time and connect us with anyone in your network that you think might donate to our project. Please direct them to our website: https://spark.ucla.edu/project/18034.
Depending on final contributions from our family, friends, and colleagues, we can live a bit more comfortably while conducting our research in Patagonia and attaining our dreams. Every dollar counts.
Respectfully,
Patagonia Preservation Team
Dear Donors,
The Patagonia Preservation Team hopes you’re having an awesome start to 2020. We’re reaching out to provide you with an update as we move forward with our project.
As of today, we have relaunched our SPARK campaign page! Visiting Patagonia is so vital to the success of our project that we have made drastic changes to our fundraising campaign. To adjust for our new goal of $13,000, we’re going to seriously rough it in Argentina. Here’s how we saved $4,000 and decided on our new goal:
We managed to save $500 from each of our flights by staggering our travel and opting for a 16 hour layover.
Instead of cabins, we’ve identified a cost-efficient campground near our field site.
Our team has committed to consuming plenty of energy bars to save money on food.
With your help, we have fundraised $4,043 which is over 30% of our goal! By February 17th, we hope to meet our new goal of $13,000. With 26 days to go and more determination than ever, we’re confident that we’ll be able to ensure the preservation of the Limay River.
Please consider donating. Anything helps! Additionally, we humbly ask that you share our campaign with your friends, family, coworkers, and fellow environmentalists: https://spark.ucla.edu/project/18034.
Respectfully,
Patagonia Preservation Team
Hello you wonderful human beings!
On behalf of the Patagonia Preservation Team, we hope you're having a relaxing holiday season. With 9 days left in our official campaign, we thought we'd share a bit more about who we are and why we care about this cause. Let's get to know this diverse and exceptional team of Bruins studying Environmental Science (part 1)!
Krishna Krishnamurthy
Leading off, we have our amazing faculty advisor! Krishna has over 8 years of experience in climate risk, vulnerability and food security analysis in 15 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia & the Pacific, and Latin America. He received his Bachelors in Environmental Policy from the London School of Economics and his Masters in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford. In his free time, Krishna enjoys playing the classical guitar and exploring remote areas of the world.
Cami Pawlak
Next, we have Cami! Her love for the environment stems from growing up next to a protected forest in Seattle, Washington. She is concentrating in Conservation Biology and Geographic Information Systems & Technology. She is currently interning as a Remote Sensing Analyst for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. On any given weekend, you can find Cami backpacking, scuba diving, or rolling around in the dirt planting trees.
Yeyang (Benson) Zu
Batting third, we have Benson! Originating from Nanjing, China, Benson offers an incredibly important international perspective to our team. He is concentrating in environmental engineering and has previously researched the effect of contaminant transport in the subsurface soil caused by human impacts. Benson's appreciation for clean and healthy aquatic ecosystems stems from his time spent at the beach.
Nick Caton
Our cleanup hitter is Nick! Nick is excited to engage with local fishing guides in Patagonia because of his passion for outdoor sports including trout fishing in the Sierra Nevadas and surfing in the Santa Monica Bay. His studies focus on environmental engineering and science-informed policy to combat the global climate crisis.
Stay tuned for our second update next week to meet the rest of the team! Again, thank you for your generous support.
Happy Holidays,
Patagonia Preservation Team
Dear Donors,
The Patagonia Preservation Team hopes you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We thank you for your generous donations to help us--future scientists, lawmakers, and engineers--accomplish our dreams. In 2 short weeks we have raised $2,571 which is 15% of our goal! We truly could not have gotten this far without the help of some amazing family, friends, philanthropists, and fishermen, like you. Thank you!
Please share our story:
On this national holiday kindness, #GivingTuesday, we humbly ask that you share our campaign with your networks. This includes your sister, cousin, co-worker, local treehugger, even your pet fish. Please share the link to our website: https://spark.ucla.edu/project/18034
Update:
Achievements:
Once again, thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far. In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, please consider sharing our campaign. Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Patagonia Preservation Team
Your donation will go towards feeding one of our team members in Argentina. As a thank you, our team will send you a video of the UCLA 8 Clap taken on our field site!
Your donation will help UCLA’s Environmental Science Class of 2020 develop into world changing scientists. As a thank you for your donation, our team will send you a group picture taken at the research site to express our gratitude.
Your donation will bring us one step closer towards reaching Patagonia as we put it towards our transportation costs. As a thank you for your donation our team will send you a video from the research site to show our appreciation.
Your donation will go towards housing our team on our research site so that we can observe this ecosystem firsthand. As a thank you, our team will send you a handwritten letter for your help in protecting the Limay River in Patagonia.
Your generous donation of $250 will go towards funding our research trip to Argentina and you deserve to see the work we do. To thank you for helping to send our team to Patagonia, we will send you a series of videos taken in the field as we conduct our research.
You are a protector of Patagonia and it shows! In addition to receiving a handwritten letter and all of our videos, we will credit you on our final presentation as a vital component of making our research project possible.